Handcuffs



Dec. 4, 1956 A. J. HOWE HANDCUFFS Filed May 10, 1954 INVENTOR.

United States Patent HANDCUFFS Alfred J. Howe, Oakland, Calif.

Application May 10, 1954, Serial No. 428,689

4 Claims. (CI. 70-16) I This invention relates to improvements in handcuffs and provides a new, rapid acting automatic 'handcuif, the ha-ndcuil closing and locking automatically when the open handcufi is straddled about the wrist of a person, the automatic action being initiated through contact of the wrist with a trigger, a slight pressure on the trigger causing the handculf to close and lock in a closely adjusted position about the wrist.

This invention is an improvement over my Patent No. 2,516,878, issued August 1, 1950, in that the operating mechanism is simplified, and the handculf cannot be manually closed without depressing the trigger, thus making certain that the handcuff will remain open, and not accidentally close about the time it is to be used. It can 'be folded in for compactness when not in use, by first depressing the trigger and can 'be instantly swung open and locked in open position ready tor trigger closing operation.

The objects and advantages of the invention are as follows:

'First, to provide a handcufi which is releasably locked in open position and which will automatically close and lock about the wrist of a person when projected against the wrist.

Second, to provide a hand-cuff which, when opened, automatically locks in open position and which cannot be closed except by depression of a release trigger, depression of which trigger causes the handcufi to instantly close and lock.

Third, to provide a handcufi :as outlined which can be folded for compactness or for forming a grip tor a nipper cufif provided at the opposite end of the handcuffs.

Fourth, to provide a handcufl as outlined which is relatively simple in construction and arrangement, and formed of :a minimum number of parts, and which is positive in action.

In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure l is a plan view of the invention with the operating mechanism cover plate removed. Fig. 2 is an enlarged firagmentary view showing the latch mechanism partly in section :and in the closed position of the handcufif.

The invention consists of a Tet-tactile cult 210 which is integral with a conventional stock 11 and nipper cufl? 12, the ripper cuff being of conventional construction and including a rigid .arcuate member '13 and closure member 14 having ratchet teeth :15 which cooperate with a ratchet not shown and which ratchet is releasable by the retractable button '16 which has connection with the ratchet, these parts not being shown as they do not form a part of the invention, being old and well known in the art.

The retractile cufi includes :a guard body 18 including a cover plate shown tragmentarily at .17, to receive the retractable 19 therebetween and which retractable link is pivoted at 20 and has the ratchet or locking link 21 pivoted thereto at 22, the locking link having ratchet teeth 23 formed in the terminal portion of the exterior 2,772,553 Patented Dec. 4, 1956 surfiace, this locking link being resiliently retainedin open position by the spring urged plunger 48 cooperating with flats 49 formed on the end of link 19, as disclosed in the previously mentioned Patent No. 2,516,878.

The link 19 terminates inwardly from its pivotal support end in an engaging finger 24, the inner terminal end being formed substantially to a radius from the pivot for purposes hereinafter mentioned, as indicated at 25, and a spring lever arm 26 depends from the lower surface of the link. A tension spring 27 has its respective ends connected to this spring lever arm 26 and to an anchoring pin 28 which is fixed in the guard body 18, the spring urging the links 19 and 121 to closed position.

The lock arm 29 is of conventional type having a passage for reception of the ratchet end 23 of the link 21 and including suitable locking means operated through a keyhole 30, and this arm is pivoted at 311 :between the guard body 18 and cover plate 17, the pivot end terminating in an arcuate edge '32 which in turn terminates at the hack in a slight projection 33 to cooperate with v a stop 34 to limit opening of this lock arm to about the a guide and retainer tor the spring, and this spring acting to resiliently retain this look arm in projected position as shown. When this lock arm is folded down for compactness or to form a gripper, the spring 37 is compressed, the projection '35 moves past center, causing the spring to retain the lock arm in folded position.

The control and locking means for the gripper cuff consists of a latch member 40 which is slidable on a shoe 41 and movable to the position shown by the springurged plunger 42, and in which position the forward end engages the engaging finger 24 to lock the link 19 in the retracted position shown. The trigger 43 is pivoted at 44 and has a cam edge 45 cooperative with the rear projection 46 of the latch member, depression of the trigger forcing the latch member back against the urgence of the spring-urged plunger 42 which is urged by a spring 47, to release the link 19 which is moved to the position shown in dotted lines at 19' with the ratchet 23 and its end of the link 21 entering the lock arm 29 and engaging with the locking means which is releasable only through key operation through the keyhole 30.

The operating means is extremely simple, actually involving only three parts including the spring-urged plunger. The link 19 being locked in open position shown until the trigger is depressed, releasing the arm which snaps to closed position through the urgency of the spring 27, and simultaneously the edge 25 swings around, engaging the plunger button 16 so that it cannot be retracted thus locking the cuff 12 in closed position, the link 21 being locked within the lock arm 29. When the link 21 is released by operation of the locking means through the keyhole 30, it can be withdrawn and the link folded back when the spring-urged plunger will engage the finger 24 and lock the link in fully retractedposition.

I claim:

I. A retractile handcuif comprising a lockarm, a guard, a retractile link retractable within said guard and having one end pivoted therein, and a locking link having one end pivoted to the other end of said retractile link, said retractile link having a depending finger extension from said one end, a latch member slidable to two positions and a spring urged plunger cooperative therewith for sliding said latch member to one position for engagement of one end under said depending finger extension for locking said retractile link in retracted position, and a trigger pivoted in said guard and having a cam edge cooperative with the other end of said latch member for retracting said latch member to the other position against the urgence of said spring-urged plunger when said trigger is depressed for releasing said retractile link, and a spring cooperative between said guard and said retractile link for projecting said retractile link outwardly about its pivot to engage said locking linl; in said lock arm when said latch member is retracted through depression of said trigger, and resiliently actuated retaining means cooperative between said retractile link and said locking link for normally retaining said locking link in open po sition for direct cooperation with said lockarm.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1; a nippcr cult having one portion formed integral with said guard, and a release button for said nipper cuff, said one end of said 'retractile link terminating inwardly in an arcuate extension cooperative with said button when said rctractile link is projected to lock said button against retraction to retain said nipper coil in locked position, retraction of said retractile link freeing said button for manual retraction for release of said nipper coil.

3. A structure as defined in claim 1; said latch member having an upward projection at one end cooperative with said cam edge for projecting said trigger to an ac cessible position through movement of said latch member to said one position through urgence of said springurged plunger.

4. A handcutl comprising an elongated guard having a stock terminating in a nipper cuff portion, a retractile link having one end pivoted in said guard substantially centrally thereof, a lockarm having one end pivoted in one end of said guard and means for resiliently urging said lock arm to a projected position, a ratchet link pivoted to the other end of said retractile link, said retractile link having an extension from said one end and terminating in an arcuate edge, and having a depending finger, spring means urging projection of said retractile link outwardly from said guard about said pivot and cooperative between said retractile link and said guard, means cooperative between the other end of said retractile link and said ratchet link for resiliently retaining said ratchet link in open position, a latch member slidable to two positions and resiliently urged to one position and having an upward projection at each end, a trigger having one end pivoted in said guard and having a cam edge cooperative with one of said upward projections on said latch member for retracting said latch member to the other position by said cam edge through depression of said trigger, the other one of said projections on said latch member engaging said depending finger for locking said link in retracted position when the latch member is in said one position, and releasing said link for projection when said latch member is moved to its other position by said trigger, and a release button for said nipper cult and located in said stock and engaged by said arcuate edge when said retractile link is projected for locking said release button against retraction for locking the nipper cuff in closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,826,591 Almquist Oct. 6, 1931 1,890,748 Pratt Dec. 13, 1932 2,516,878 Howe Aug. 1, 1950 

